


Love Me More than Candy

by shslAO3_fanficWriter



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Halloween parties, Hope's Peak AU, I'll probably add more tags later if I can, Jealousy, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Sexual References, Shuichi ily but you're dumb, Underage Drinking, alcohol mention, but not really, it alludes to unrequited Saimota, love potions, the killing game was real but it was a simulation so everyone is still alive, vr au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-08-13 20:44:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16479446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shslAO3_fanficWriter/pseuds/shslAO3_fanficWriter
Summary: Kirumi hosts a Halloween party for the 79th class in their last year at Hope's Peak Academy.  Miu decides to spike the punch, but Himiko interferes with magic.  Shuichi just wants to enjoy life now that everyone's alive again, but apparently that's hard to do when your crush accidentally drinks the punch.





	1. Flying Purple People Eater

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alex (X0hworm)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/X0hworm/gifts).



> It's Halloween and I'm not doing anything, so why not write a Halloween fic?

Shuichi adjusts his hat and stares at his reflection in the mirror. It’s not the most creative Halloween costume, but he agreed with Kaede that it was a good fit for him. Dressing up as Sherlock Holmes was, in his opinion, not a very good costume for the spooky holiday, but he was also afraid of wearing something potentially embarrassing. He straightens out his coat, grabs his room keys, and leaves his dorm. The 79th class at Hope’s Peak Academy had been planning a Halloween party since mid-September, ever since Miu threatened to shove dildos into a jack-o-lantern. The idea was quickly shot down, but Kirumi suggested hosting a party for everyone in the dining hall. Shuichi sighs at the memory, shivering at the idea of whatever potential costume the inventor might be wearing.

Shuichi locks the door behind him and heads out into the hall, slowly making his way and pulling at his hat. Having a hat on his head again probably wasn’t the best for his anxiety, but it completed the look. In all honesty, he’s surprised Kaede even let him wear the hat. He figured she would’ve scolded him for “reverting into his old, shut-in ways,” or something. He hears the stomping of feet behind him, and before he can turn around, an arm is being swung around his shoulders.

“Hey, sidekick! Looking good!” Kaito is dressed up as a werewolf, his furry hand gripping Shuichi’s shoulder. “It’s weird seeing you with a hat on again, though.” Shuichi flushes and goes to tug the brim over his eyes, but Kaito swats his hand away. “Don’t do that, dude. You look great, there’s no reason to be so embarrassed!” He lets out a roar and gets pumped up, removing his hand from Shuichi’s shoulder to slap him on the back. “Come on, dude, lemme hear you say it. Tell me how confident you’re feeling to be dressed as the second best detective ever!”

Shuichi chuckles, truly appreciative of Kaito’s enthusiasm. “The second best?”

“Hell yeah!” Kaito smacks his fist into his palm. “No one’s a better detective than my sidekick!” Shuichi blushes at the praise but smiles, trying to ignore the urge to cover his face with his hat. When they reach the dining hall, Kaito’s arm is slung around Shuichi’s shoulder again, and he bursts through the door. “The party has arrived!”

Maki is standing near the door, leaning against the wall with a cup in her hands, and she rolls her eyes. “The party is the event itself, not one annoying individual.” Kaito squawks in indignation.

“No way! At least _Shuichi_ appreciates my presence!” He squeezes the detective closer to him and Shuichi doesn’t appreciate the lack of space. Maki pinches Kaito and he releases his grip before Shuichi feels too suffocated, however.

Golden eyes scan the room, taking in the scene. There are black, white, and orange streamers strewn about, as well as paper pumpkins and bats hanging down from the ceiling. The lights are dimmed slightly to give it a scary ambiance, and the stereotypical Halloween party mix is blasting over the speakers. The current song is “One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying, Purple People Eater,” which was convenient seeing as how a small male with dyed, purple hair comes flying at Shuichi at what seemed to be lightning speed, effectively crashing into him and making them both fall.

“K-Kokichi!” Shuichi stutters, opening his eyes after being startled from the crash and reaching for his now-throbbing head. However, he’s faced with the large, excited eyes of his mischievous friend peering back at him. His face lights up a bright red as he pushes Kokichi off of himself and quickly standing up.

“Booooooooooooooooooooooo! You’re not gonna help me up? How mean!” He begins to wail and Shuichi sighs, sticking his hand out for the other to take. Shuichi finally takes the time to eye the smaller boy, taking in his costume. He’s dressed up as what appears to be a jester, complete with a large hat and poofy pants, all in mismatched colors. He’s startled back into reality when a pale hand fits into his, pulling him back to the ground. He makes a quiet ‘oof!’ sound and looks up to glare at the giggling Kokichi. “What’s wrong, Shushu? You looked like your head was in outer space!”

“I was just surprised by your outfit, is all,” he huffs and gets up, ignoring Kokichi’s hand this time. “I expected something more, well, evil.” Kokichi jumps up on his own and latches onto Shuichi’s arm.

“Would you have prefer if I’d dressed up as Moriarty instead? Then we could’ve played rivals! I run around and you chase me until I oh-so-conveniently fall to my untimely death! Wouldn’t that be fun!?” Shuichi winces at the mention of death, a slight twinge of guilt filling his chest.

“If…If this is about V3…”

“Boooooo! Shumai’s thinking too much again!” He sticks out his tongue and pokes Shuichi’s cheek. “As if I’d still be caught up over some virtual reality that happened years ago! So I died, so what!? I’m still alive now. But I’ll dead soon if you keep boring me!” he pouts.

Shuichi can’t help but smile. The words may have been delivered in a harsh tone, but after spending so long by Kokichi’s side, he knows that was his attempt to cheer him up.

"And now that’s it’s our last year at this prestigious academy,” Kokichi gives an obnoxious lilt to his voice as he speaks, “I demand we have some fun! So let’s start with something to drink! I hear the whore spiked one of the bowls of punch, but no one knows which one. Won’t it be fun to see which of us gets drunk?” He drags Shuichi to the table where different juices are situated, and grabs two cups, filling them both with different drinks. “To eating so much candy you pass out and die!” Kokichi cheers then chugs the contents of his cup.

“To eating a decent amount of candy and _not_ dying,” Shuichi toasts then drinks. It tastes like regular punch, so he really hopes it isn’t actually spiked, not that it matters too much, seeing as how most of the class is at least _almost_ eighteen. Still, Shuichi would rather not end up accidentally getting drunk. Maybe he should just stick to water from the fountain?

“Noooooope!” Kokichi pops the ‘p’. “I know what you’re thinking, and that’s cheating! Bad Shushu, trying to cheat on our competition!”

“Competition?”

“Yep! This is obviously a competition on which one of us doesn’t get drunk on punch. A game based on pure luck. Doesn’t that sound exciting!? Of course, there’s no real prize, so it’s kinda boring, but if Shumai loses…I’ll have good blackmail material for ages! So no cheating~” Shuichi sighs and rolls his eyes. At least it isn’t the knife game again…

~~~

The night goes on and Shuichi doesn’t feel any less sober, but Kokichi doesn’t look any less sober either. It’s probable that the juices weren’t actually spiked, and he really hopes that’s true. “Hey~! Shushuuuuuuuuuu!” Kokichi whines from where he’s clinging onto Shuichi, “I’m bored! Play with me?”

“We’ve already played every game here, though. What did you want to do?”

“Let’s go trick-or-treating and TP random people’s houses!” His eyes light up and his smile is just as bright. “Then we can blame Kaito!”

“Hey!” Kaito turns around from where he was talking with Kaede and Maki, a scowl on his face. “You can’t get away with that, you little gremlin!” Kokichi laughs and sticks out his tongue. “Shuichi! Tell him he can’t get away with that!”

“Ah. Kaito is right, Kokichi. You shouldn’t do that.” Kokichi only hums in response, his face an emotionless slate for a brief second. “But, um…we could always go to the game room and play Mario Kart, or something?”

“Wow! What’s this, Shumai? Are you asking me out on a date!?” Kokichi gasps dramatically and covers his mouth with his hands. “How scandalous!”

Shuichi blushes and stutters at the accusation and looks away. “I just meant…if you were bored, it’s something else we could do.”

Kaito steps in and pries Kokichi off of Shuichi. “If you’re so bored, why don’t you go bother someone else? You’re obviously making Shuichi uncomfortable!” When Shuichi’s arm is free once more, Kaito is once again draping himself over the detective, this time in a more protective manner.

“I might as well,” Kokichi looks at his nails, which are now covered by gloves. “You guys are so mushy and boring! Go be gay somewhere else!” He swivels on his heel and runs to Kiibo, pouncing on him and holding him in an almost-chokehold.

“That little—!” Kaito growls and Shuichi turns to him to calm him down.

“Now, now, he’s just being Kokichi. He likes to pick at every little thing. I’m sure he didn’t mean to, like, insult your pride or something. Well…he probably did, but not in a mean way? Well, he’s just…Kokichi. You know?” Shuichi stumbles over his words.

“Why the hell are you defending him, Shuichi? He’s still a jerk, even after the killing game! I don’t get it. Why do you even spend so much time with him?”

“Ah, well,” Shuichi averts his gaze and scratches his cheek. “After everything that happened, I realized that I never really tried to get to know him. He had the same goal as all of us, but we all…we all made him to be an outcast. I know he crosses the line a lot, but I think after going through all of that, it’s hard to trust people. That’s why I wanted to get to know him. I wanted to know why he did all of those things. And he, well, he doesn’t like to talk about the killing game, I’ve noticed that, and I don’t blame him. Honestly, I…I don’t like talking about it either. But…”

“Okay, okay, I get it. You’ve become so confident in yourself that you want to be friends with everyone now, I get it. But why _him_?” Kaito sighs and rubs the back of his neck. “We’re best friends, right Shuichi? So why are you spending more time with him than you are with me?”

“That…I…” Shuichi’s face heats up and he begins to fidget with his hands.

“Kaito, did you maybe drink some of Miu’s punch? Why don’t you go sit down and cool off,” Kaede looks at Maki and she nods, ushering the astronaut off to a bench. “Hey, Shuichi,” she smiles softly. “I suppose this isn’t how you expected your Halloween to go. You look nice. I have to agree with Kaito, though. You have been spending a lot of time with Kokichi recently. And I think it’s great that you’re reaching out to him! Both for you and Kokichi. But…I’m wondering if you have other motives, mister detective.” She smiles and looks Shuichi dead in the eye, and he can’t look away.

“I…I’m…” he drinks from his cup. “What did Miu put in the punch?”

Kaede sighs at Shuichi’s avoidance. “Well, I overheard Tenko saying she convinced Himiko to turn what alcohol it was into a love potion,” she giggles, “but I’m not sure if she did. But it could explain Kaito’s sudden jealousy. Have you noticed you or Kokichi acting any differently?” When Shuichi shakes his head in response, she taps her chin and hums. “Then perhaps it worked.”

“What?”

“I’m going to go check on Maki and Kaito. Go talk to Kokichi, okay?” She waves and leaves, and Shuichi has a sour taste in his mouth. So the punch is either spiked with alcohol or a love potion? Is one of those a better option? He sighs and puts his cup down, no longer trusting its contents.

Shuichi walks over to a corner of the room and searches around for the obnoxious jester costume. He happens to spot Himiko while searching and decides to approach the little witch.

“Ah, um, hi Himiko.” He can feel his mouth going dry, he isn’t sure why he’s so nervous.

“Huh? Oh, hi Shuichi,” she smiles lazily, “enjoying the party?”

He nods and tries to keep eye contact. “I, um, heard that you changed Miu’s alcohol into a love potion? When she was trying to spike the punch, I mean.”

“Oh? Did you want to give it to someone? Maybe Kaito or Kaede?” Her grin widens.

Shuichi’s face erupts in red and he waves his face in front of himself. “N-No! No. I-I was just wondering if it was true. A-And…as a detective, I wanted to know how it worked.”

Himiko gives him a skeptical glance before shrugging. “Basically, you give a cup to someone, and they fall in love with you for twenty-four hours. Pretty cool, right?”

“What would, um, happen if you accidentally drank the love potion, though? Hypothetically.”

She hums and shrugs. “I didn’t plan that far ahead. I guess you’d fall in love with the person you’re drinking with. If you’re alone, then maybe the first person you see? I’ve read that in manga before.” Tenko hollers for her and she waves. “I’ll see you later, Shuichi. Good luck.”

Shuichi stares after her, dumbfounded. That was…unhelpful. So…either Shuichi drank the love potion…or Kokichi did. And…Kaede thinks it works? He tries thinking of what other evidence he’s collected. The first time Shuichi saw Kokichi tonight, he tackled him to the floor, straddling him. Shuichi blushes at the memory. Then, when they tried to get up, Kokichi pulled Shuichi on top on him, reversing their positions. That…was that flirting? He had thought Kokichi was just messing around, but it does make sense on a flirtatious level. But they hadn’t drunk anything until after that.

That’s when it clicks. Judging by the direction Kokichi ran into him, he must’ve been coming from the drinks station. Which means Kokichi was drinking the punch. And using what Himiko said…Shuichi must’ve been the first person he saw after drinking the love potion! He claps his hands together, smiling now that he’s figured it out. But…what are the repercussions of this? Kokichi is going to be in love with him for the next day. He…He won’t be able to handle that.

He looks around for Kaede, quickly finding her large, pumpkin-Monokuma dress. “Kaede!” He runs up to her, clearly distressed.

“Shuichi! What’s wrong?” She looks at him, now panicking because clearly _something_ is wrong.

“I…I think Kokichi’s in love with me.”

“What?” She looks at him, then back at her conversation partner, Kirumi, who simply shrugs. “What makes you say that, Shuichi?”

“He drank the punch that was spiked with a love potion, then saw me. What do I do!?”

“Well, um, I suppose you just continue your life as normal?”

“ _Normal_!? Kaede, I can’t do that! I’ll die!”

“That’s a rather drastic response. I thought you liked Kokichi.”

“Exactly! Wait…what?”

Kaede giggles. “It’s not very hard to tell, Shuichi.”

He blushes and looks away. “Well, then…you see the issue right? It…It’ll end in twenty-four hours, and…and it’ll kill me. To have him reciprocate my feelings for a day then go back to how he truly feels. Plus! It won’t even be real!” He groans and hold his blushing face in his hands.


	2. Werewolf of Hope's Peak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi doesn't appreciate the weird drink in his cup or the uncomfortable feelings in his chest. He also dones't appreciate Kaito sitcking to Shuichi's side like glue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the angst chapter. I tried not to make it too bad.

“Oh? Did you want to give it to someone? Maybe Kaito or Kaede?” Kokichi glares at Himiko from where he’s sitting. This isn’t how he wanted his Halloween to go; Halloween should be fun! And yet…here he is, sitting on a shitty fold-up chair, drinking some gross-tasting juice out of a crinkled, plastic cup, and listening to Shuichi ask about a love potion. He doesn’t see why Shuichi of all people would need a love potion, he’s already loved by basically everyone. If anyone needed a love potion, it was Kokichi. Not that he actually believed in Himiko’s “magic.”

He sighs and takes another sip from the cup, then looks down into its contents. It’s been dyed an unnatural shade of green, and smells like too many different things were mixed into the poor bowl to even resemble a fruit anymore. He tunes out of their conversation after Himiko finishes explaining how the love potion would work if it were real. It makes him sick. Maybe magic and fairytales could’ve been real in the virtual world (if they weren’t forced to kill each other), but back in reality, there’s no such thing as a love potion. Maybe an aphrodisiac, but that’s more sexual, and no one seems horny. No one besides Miu, that is.

He watches Shuichi as he searches the room in a panic and runs up to Kaede. Kokichi hums. With context, that would mean that he’d give the potion to Kaito. He clicks his tongue and takes another swig of the foul beverage, crossing his legs as he pouts.

“Heeeeeeey, Cock-itchy!” Miu takes the cup out of his hand and drinks from it. “Oh! Is this the spiked one? You’ve got taste!” She cackles and hands it back to him.

“No waaaay~! You can’t just go around taking other people’s drinks! What if they were poisoned? I’d be so, so, so, so, so, so _sad_ if you died! I should make sure no one else drinks this absolute garbage you’ve created.” He grins and tilts the cup, pouring its contents all over Miu. She squeals.

“W-Wh-What the _fuck_ , Kokichi!? You totally just ruined my costume!”

“What costume? You look like a slut, and you can’t dress up as something you already are!” He laughs and drops the cup on her feet once it’s empty.

“Th…That’s funny, considering you’re dressed up as a jester and you’re already a joke!”

“Really? Is that the best you can do?” He gets up and flicks her nose before leaving. “Bye-bye~, miss little whore! I’d apologize because you’re probably all sticky now, but I bet you’re used to that. Ta-ta!”

The sour taste in his mouth isn’t from the punch. He knows that. He’s still thinking about Shuichi, and what Miu said isn’t helping. He’s honestly surprised Shuichi started talking to him after he woke up. He doesn’t know what happened after he died, but he knows it sure as hell didn’t excuse what he did. So why the hell did Shuichi befriend him? He’s…glad, though. He can’t fully trust anyone yet, but it’s nice knowing that there’s someone there for him. Even Kaede is trying a little bit, so are Rantaro and Kirumi. He refuses to befriend Maki though. He’ll never trust her.

He spots her wings from across the room and his lips curl up in a snarl. He feels sick again, and the feeling is only worsened when he sees her talking with Kaede, Kaito, and… _Shuichi_. He really wishes he still had that punch. He really wishes it was actually spiked so that he wouldn’t have to remember this in the morning. _God_ …. He feels so pathetic. He doesn’t care, so…why? What’s tugging at his chest? What’s the infuriating feeling in the pits of his stomach, making him want to run away?

The thought crosses his mind that maybe it’s because Kaito has been extra touchy-feely with Shuichi tonight, and his mouth tastes like poison. He refuses to acknowledge the feeling as jealousy. He’s never felt that way before, so he isn’t now.

Except both of those are lies. Seeing the relationship between Kaito and Shuichi, he can’t help but become envious. _He_ wants to be that close to Shuichi. _He_ wants to be the one draped all over the detective like some sort of lovesick puppy. Except that’s way too vulnerable for Kokichi’s tastes, so he’ll just stick to obnoxiously clinging onto Shuichi’s arm.

Kokichi skips over to the small group with a sickening smile plastered on his face. He reaches them just as the music switches to “Werewolves of London.” Kaito has his arm around Shuichi again, and his hand is squeezing his shoulder affectionately.

“Heeeeey, everyone~” Kokichi singsongs, “Kiibo is suuuuper boring; all his reactions are the same. Sooooo…I came back to accept my beloved Shumai’s offer of a Mario Party date!” He holds his hands behind his head and laughs, shifting his weight to his left. “So? Let’s get going already! I have important supreme leader things to do later, so you better not waste my time.”

“Jesus Christ, Kokichi, can’t you just leave him alone? He only asked you because you wouldn’t shut up!” Kaito’s grip on Shuichi tightens and he glares down at Kokichi. “Why don’t you just leave us alone!?”

“Why? Did _you_ wanna have a Mario Party date with Shumai?”

Kaito looks away and blushes, stammering something unintelligible. “So what if I do!? We’re bros! Bros can go on dates! It’s strictly platonic!”

“You’re the absolute definition of ‘no homo.’ Jeez…it’s kinda hard to take you seriously with all your mushy-gushy flirting. But you should be careful, Kaito~ you wouldn’t want me stealing him from you.” Kokichi holds a finger up to his smirk and his face darkens.

He watches for Shuichi’s reaction. The detective looks away from Kokichi, then at Kaito, then away at nothing again. He’s blushing. Of course he’s blushing. “Weeeeeell~ I’ll leave you two lover-boys to fuck on your own terms. I’m gonna go convince Gonta to TP someone’s house with me!” Kokichi turns on his heel nonchalantly and sprints over to the giant.

~~~

Kokichi sits on a random park bench in his jester costume. He managed to TP a few houses before Gonta caught on to the fact that he was tricked, so he went trick-or-treating alone. Because of his short stature, he was able to convince a lot of households that he was a child. He also wiggled extra candy out of them by wailing loudly. So now he’s sitting in the dark on Halloween night eating sweets out of an oversized jester’s hat. Every so often, his mind wanders back to Shuichi, and how he was blushing at Kaito. Of _course_ they were dating; they’d always been close, even in the killing game. That didn’t mean it didn’t feel like a knife being stabbed through his heart and twisted. Why was getting so worked up over this? He shoves a tootsie roll in his mouth and chews loudly.

“Kokichi?” The boy in question turns around to see Rantaro, now out of his vampire costume and dressed in everyday clothes. “What are you doing out here so late?” He sits down next to him with a weary smile.

“What are _you_ doing out here so late?” He shoves another tootsie roll in his mouth.

“I was out trick-or-treating with my youngest sisters, and had changed after I dropped them back at home, then I decided to take a stroll to take some time to myself. The party was rather chaotic,” he chuckles. “But…you’re still in costume, and it’s,” he pulls out his phone, wincing at the brightness, “almost two a.m.”

“I’m bird watching.”

“That’s the worst lie you’ve ever told.”

“A lie doesn’t have to be convincing. Sometimes people lie as a polite way of saying ‘go away.’” He shoves a handful of m&m’s into his mouth. He hadn’t even realized that it had gotten so late.

“Do you want me to leave?” Rantaro is answered with silence.

Kokichi sighs and slumps against the bench. “No.”

“Do you want to talk about it? Whatever’s bothering you?”

“No.” Kokichi hands him a snickers and Rantaro takes it, not pushing any further. They sit there like that for a while, embracing the silence and the crisp autumn air. There are still a few stray cicadas singing, confused by the warm night, and the cars passing by give an occasional light to remind Kokichi that time hasn’t stopped. To remind him that he’s still alive and breathing.

“I like Shuichi.” He wants to say he said it on a whim, but he didn’t. He isn’t the type of person who does things without thinking, not even about something like this. He wants to put it out there, to have someone laugh at him until his feelings stop. Except Rantaro doesn’t laugh.

“I know,” he hums. “You’re not very subtle.”

“Subtle doesn’t suit me,” he snarks.

“No it doesn’t.” Rantaro laughs and Kokichi eventually joins him. The bitter feeling is still in his stomach, and now a looming darkness squeezes his heart for being so vulnerable, but he feels lighter. And he hates it. He hates having so many feelings.

He stares at the candy in his palm, turning it over. “I’d rather be in love with a Milky Way,” he pouts, unwrapping the sweet and biting into it. “Why are you making me talk about this? I hate you, go away.”

“I’m not making you talk. You chose to do that on your own.” Kokichi huffs and finishes the Milky Way. “Do you want to head back to campus?” He nods.

“I’m exhausted! Ranran’s ripped open my chest and strangled me with my own intestines! I’m living in a real life horror movie! Look, now he’s even eating my heart! You must be a _real_ vampire!” Kokichi gasps and stands up, pretending to faint. Rantaro stands up as well.

“Shuichi must really like you to put up with your antics so much.” Kokichi can’t help but let out a bitter laugh at that.

“Why are you bullying meeeee? I put my heart in your hands and you squashed it like an éclair! Traitor! Betrayal! Shumai is obviously head-over-heels for me, and now you’re even doubting _him_?! Shame on you, Ranran!” He makes a few ‘tsk’ sounds and waves his finger at the taller boy. “Don’t you know that if you bully Shushu, Angie will summon the mighty Atua to kill you in your sleep? But that’s a lie! I don’t talk to Angie enough to know that, nor do I care!”

The walk back is filled with Kokichi spewing similar nonsense. But Rantaro’s right. It _is_ a miracle that Shuichi puts up with him, especially when he already has Kaito.

When they reach the dorms, Rantaro waves and Kokichi throws some candy at him. “Stop trying to seduce me, my heart belongs to another man!” Rantaro just laughs at Kokichi’s dramatics.

“Good night Kokichi. Good luck.”

Luck. He doesn’t need luck. He needs a miracle.

And maybe a love potion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is alluding to Kaito's Halloween costume, btw.


	3. Shadows of the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's 2:30 in the morning and there's too much on Shuichi's mind to sleep. Sleeping becomes even harder when you somehow ending cuddling your crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, Alex, I lied. There's more angst.  
> Also I'm literally googling "Halloween songs" for chapter titles and I haven't heard most of them

Shuichi stares up at the ceiling of his dorm room, now wearing soft pajamas. He hadn’t been able to find Kokichi since he last ran away to find Gonta, and he had wanted to tell Kokichi that he was wrong, that he _wasn’t_ dating Kaito. In fact, the only reason Kokichi probably thought he was is because of the love potion. He sighs. So now he has to deal with his crush and his best friend both accidentally falling in love with him because of a stupid love potion. Great. Maki promised she would try to keep Kaito away, but Kaede just smiled and said he should “use this to his advantage” and confess.

Shuichi turns his head and looks at the bright green numbers on his clock. 2:34 a.m. He groans softly and throws the blankets over his head. _He just wants to sleep._ If he sleeps the following day away, he won’t have to deal with Kokichi thinking he’s in love with him. It hurts to imagine. To think about Kokichi kissing him, then the next day, in his usual, mischievous voice, call out: “it was a lie!” He tries to focus on just the first part. He thinks about what he would do if Kokichi approached him and kissed him. Would his lips be soft? Or would they be chapped because of the changing seasons? He doesn’t get to dwell on his thoughts too much before he’s covering his burning face with his hands.

He rolls over to lay on his other side and makes a strangled, whining sound. He grabs his pillow and goes to scream in it, but he stops when he hears voices. There’s a muffled squawk followed by quiet laughter. Then…

“Stop trying to seduce me, my heart belongs to another man!” Shuichi is startled by Kokichi’s voice, and he can feel his heartbeat quicken. Who is he talking to? A guy, apparently. He’s being seduced? Does somebody else in their class like Kokichi? Shuichi rakes his brain for possibilities. The most likely suspects are Rantaro and Kiibo. He swallows. It seems that Kokichi doesn’t return the gesture, though, so that’s good. Not that it matters—he doesn’t like Shuichi either.

Shuichi hesitantly stands up and approaches his door. His hand is shaking as he reaches out for the doorknob and he swallows. Slowly, he opens the door and peeks out to see Kokichi leaning over the railing and tossing candy out towards him. He looks to his right and sees Rantaro smile.

“Ah! Shumai! Tell Ranran to stop flirting with me because we’re already _soooooo_ in love!”

“Huh!?” Shuichi gawks up at the boy on the second floor and he hears Rantaro laugh.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll stop. Shuichi?” Shuichi turns to see Rantaro smiling at him. Is this some kind of test? He’s deduced that Rantaro is just playing along with Kokichi’s antics at this point, but it still feels as though he’s been placed in an unwinnable situation. He looks back at Kokichi, then back to Rantaro.

“Shuichi~ oh, Shuichi! Wherefore art thou, Shuichi?” Kokichi swoons and collapses to the ground, accidentally dropping his hat down to the first floor. “Come rescue your poor, wounded Juliet before she has to poison herself!”

“Juliet was a noble, Kokichi. You’re still dressed like the fool.” Kokichi gasps and sits up.

“Shuichi, you traitor! I thought you loved me!” Kokichi jumps back up onto his feet and hops down the stairs to stand face-to-face with Shuichi. “You are breaking my heart!” He tears up and takes in a deep breath, ready to sob.

“Well,” Rantaro clears his throat, “I’ll be going to bed now. Goodnight you two.”

“Night, Ranran!” Kokichi smiles and waves as Rantaro disappears from sight. He looks back up at Shuichi and boops his nose. “What is my beloved Shumai doing up so late? Surely Kirumi wouldn’t have let the party go on for so long.

“I, ah, couldn’t sleep,” Shuichi looks away and rubs the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. “What were you doing out with Rantaro?”

“We were out having hot, passionate sex after you broke my heart and moved on to Kaito,” Kokichi grins, saying the phrase so casually it hurt.

“But that’s…a lie, right?”

“Yep! I would _never_ cheat on my beloved Shushu!” Shuichi just sighs in response, and Kokichi sneaks into his room while his guard is down. Shuichi smiles at the other softly, and grabs the abandoned hat from the hallway, then joining him at the edge of the bed.

“Did you enjoy your Halloween?”

“No way! I barely got to spend any time with Shumai! I’m so terribly sad!” He tears up again and crashes his head into Shuichi’s chest and cries loudly. Shuichi blushes at the contact and pats Kokichi’s head.

“I’m…sorry Kaito was acting like, well, like _that_.” Shuichi can’t think of a good way to describe the astronaut’s behavior, so he doesn’t. “Kaede thinks he accidentally drank a love potion, so he’ll be in love with me for the next twenty-four hours. Well, I guess it’s less than that by now, but you know what I mean.” He’s met with silence and looks down at Kokichi’s purple hair, and all too quickly the locks are blurring and he feels a sharp pain in his nose. “Ow! Kokichi!”

“That’s what you get for not paying attention to me, Shuichi!” Shuichi holds his nose and scans Kokichi’s eyes. He doesn’t look serious, so Kokichi probably didn’t mean to head-butt his nose. “It’s also what you get for being stupid and believing in love potions,” he pouts. Shuichi finds that remark ironic, considering Kokichi himself is currently under the effects of a love potion.

“You don’t think the punch was spiked with a love potion?”

“Nope! I also don’t see why you would need to give it to mister space cowboy,” he lays his head on Shuichi’s lap, “you guys are already dating, so there’s no reason.”

What? “Um, Kokichi? We…Kaito and I…aren’t…dating. How did you get that idea?”

Kokichi rolls over and stretches across his lap. “Because he’s _always_ hanging off of you and you two are _always_ together. You’re not a very good liar, Shumai~”

“But…we’re really not dating. And, I mean… _we_ hang out a lot too, and…you’re almost constantly on me. E-Even now, you’re…” he’s too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

“Gosh, Shuichi! You say that like it implies _we’re_ dating! Why would you say something so silly?” Kokichi gasps and rolls back over to look up at Shuichi. “I saw the way you frantically ran to Kaede after talking with Himiko,” he pulls off his gloves and picks at his nails. “She and Kaito are the only possible people you’d give a love potion too, and since you went to Kaede, that crosses her off the list. And, seeing as how you just said you’re not actually dating, it confirms my theory that you like Kaito.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in the love potion, though?”

“I don’t. But you apparently do. So, using that, I’m pretending it is for my reasoning.”

“Well,” Shuichi pushes Kokichi off of his lap. “I _thought_ it was real. I mean, it made sense. But I guess I was just overthinking. I mean, you’re not acting any different.”

“Of course I’m not acting any different! I didn’t drink a love potion!”

“Okay, but I didn’t either.”

“Because it’s not real. Duh, Shuichi.”

“But _Kaito_ was acting differently. So that means one of the punches must’ve been spiked.”

“ _Or_! He’s always acted like that and you’re only just now noticing because you’re so hyper-focused on this idea of a love potion!”

“Kaito’s never acted that way!”

“Yes he does! He’s constantly clinging to you and prying for your attention. He obviously likes you!”

“We’re _friends_ , Kokichi. Of course he likes me. Why are you acting so jealous?” Kokichi screams and falls back onto the bed. “You have no reason to be jealous unless you _did_ drink the love potion!”

“Fine! Sure! Let’s say I _did_ drink a love potion. What’s it to you?”

The question catches Shuichi off guard. “Ah, well…it would mean you’re in love with me, right? But it’d just be like another one of your lies, where after a day you go back to normal. And, I mean, sometimes your lies can be fun, but this…it would involve my emotions and…I don’t like that. I don’t like the idea of—”

“Of me being in love with you. I get it.”

“What? That’s what I said!”

“But you were about to.” Kokichi sits back up and sighs, grabbing his hat from Shuichi. “Whelp!” And just like that he’s smiling again. “I’m suuuuper tired! Shuichi’s bored me to death! So I’m gonna head to bed now. Nighty-night~!”

“Wait!” Shuichi grabs Kokichi’s wrist as he goes to turn away. “If…I know it’s not real, but…if it’s just for the night, you can…stay. If you want.” He looks away and blushes. He know this will kill him when it ends. He knows Kokichi will tease him about it with no end. Or, even worse, leave him. But he’s selfish. He wants this. Wants _Kokichi._ And, for the night, under the influence of the love potion, Kokichi wants it too. Not that he’d take advantage of that! That’s not right! But friends can cuddle. So as long as Kokichi’s okay with it…

“Ooooh~? Just what are you asking of me, Shuichi? Your head’s as dirty as Miu’s!” He laughs.

“No. I just…I just meant…w-we could…cuddle. Or something.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Well, I mean…friends can cuddle? So it’s not like it’s weird or anything.”

“You’re making it weird, though. But, whatever! If this is really want Shumai wants~” He jumps back into bed and lays down. “But if you’re a loud snorer I’m kicking you out of bed, got it?”

Shuichi laughs. “Got it.” He lays down next to Kokichi and closes his eyes. He isn’t going to start anything. He feels weird doing that under this situation.

“Jeez! It’s like you don’t even know how to cuddle!” Suddenly, Shuichi feels an arm wrap around him. “You’re absolutely terrible in bed, Shuichi. Asking me to cuddle then ignoring me. Zero stars.”

Shuichi laughs and smiles to himself. This is nice. He hopes that one day Kokichi could love him for real. But he’s not going to force him too.

~~~

He hears Kokichi’s even breathing and he opens his eyes. Shuichi is still having a difficult time sleeping. He looks over to the clock and it’s been almost three hours since Kokichi entered his room. He feels warm with Kokichi’s arm around him, but it doesn’t feel real. After what he’s saw, he’s almost convinced Kokichi might actually like Rantaro. It stings. The idea fills him with jealousy, and he wants to cry. He should just embrace the remaining hours where Kokichi is in love with him.

Maybe he’s overthinking things. Maybe he really is just so focused on the love potion that he isn’t seeing things normally. He pulls out his phone and texts Kaede.

To: Kaede  
4:46 a.m.  
Hey. Sorry this is so early, but it’s about Kokichi. Do you think he likes Rantaro? I mean normally, without the love potion. I’m just worried I’m overthinking things again, and I don’t want to freak out.

He stares at his lock screen for a little while, then puts it back on his nightstand, sighing. A few minutes later, he hears a soft vibration, and retrieves his phone.

From: Kaede  
4:54 a.m.  
Shuichu its 5 in the mornig, why are you awake? And no i dont think he does. I think he sees Rantarro as more off a brother.

To: Kaede  
4:55 a.m.  
I couldn’t sleep. And thank you, it’s refreshing it have your perspective on things. But…did I wake you? I’m so sorry.

From: Kaede  
5:01 a.m.  
Its fien, but uou should try to sleep. There’s class tommrow. Goodnight Shuichi

To: Kaede  
5:01 a.m.  
Goodnight Kaede. Sorry to wake you.

He puts his phone down once more and closes his eyes. He still can’t sleep, but he tries to focus on Kaede’s words. _He sees Rantaro as a brother._ Maybe if he gives Kokichi the best day ever tomorrow, he might actually fall in love with him. If love potions are real, why not fairytale endings? When did he get so optimistic? It’s probably Kaede and Kaito’s influence, but he’s glad. Maybe this whole love potion debacle isn’t the worst thing after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like a good dosage of angst before they get together. It'll be fine though, I swear.


	4. I Don't Know Enough Halloween Songs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> November 1st. The day after Halloween. There is absolutely nothing out of the order with waking up in your crush's arms, except for literally everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got caught up with finals and forgot to post this, oops ><  
> Hopefully the formatting works

The walls around him are a vibrant pink, decorated with hearts in white and pastels. A misty, green fog surrounds his feet, and all sound is hazy. It’s not silent, but he can’t hear. He looks to his left and sees a familiar figure. It’s Shuichi. Right? Yes. It has to be Shuichi. Who else would it be? He goes to smile at the other, but when Shuichi turns to face him, he’s frowning. He’s Kaito. A smirk graces his lips and it soon turns into an ugly snarl. His teeth are barred and Kokichi feels like he’s being strangled. He turns around and the fog is gone. He’s back at the party. What party? There’s cake. He takes the slice offered to him and bites into it. He can’t taste it. He can’t taste anything. The floor opens up beneath him and he’s falling, but he doesn’t scream. He isn’t scared. Instead, he feels warm. Warm as though to fall isn’t dangerous, but an adventure worth pursuing. He closes his eyes and lets himself smile. He lets himself fall.

Kokichi nuzzles into his pillow, feeling well rested but not wanting to wake up. He’s so _tired_. He vaguely recalls having a dream, but he can’t remember it for the life of him. He does, however, remember feeling warm. In fact, he _still_ feels warm. His eyes shoot open as he remembers the night before. The Halloween party, where Kaito was all over Shuichi. Where he drank some gross, green juice that was supposedly turned into a love potion. He remembers sitting out on a park bench until 2 a.m. and talking with Rantaro. And he remembers entering Shuichi’s room and…

Cuddling. They’re cuddling. Kokichi holds his breath and takes a few seconds to reboot his brain. Shuichi had asked to cuddle with him last night. Was that because he thinks Kokichi is under a love spell? _Is_ Kokichi under a love spell? He doesn’t feel any different. Maybe it’s _Shuichi_ who’s under a love spell. No, now he’s just projecting. There is no love potion. He sighs and looks at the clock.

…

_Fuck_

They’re gonna be late for homeroom if they don’t get up now. Kokichi doesn’t personally mind, but he knows punctuality is important for Shuichi. “Hey. Shumai,” he removes him arms from around the other boy he shakes him, “get up.” But there’s no response. “Shumai!” He shakes him rougher this time. When there’s still no response, Kokichi huffs and rolls over to sit on top of Shuichi. “This is divine retribution from Atua!” he chirps in a fake, high-pitched voice, trying to imitate Angie. He laughs before raising up his hands and jabbing his fingers into Shuichi’s sides, tickling him.

Shuichi’s body begins to jerk under the touch, and soon Shuichi opens his eyes and makes an undignified yelp, which soon turns into giggles as he squirms under Kokichi’s touch. He splutters incoherently and twists and turns under Kokichi, who’s relentless in his attack. “Ko-oki-hi-hi-chi!” Shuichi tries calling out for his friend to stop, but his lungs aren’t getting enough air from all of the laughing, so it’s difficult.

“Hmmm~?” Kokichi hums with a shit-eating grin on his face, and pauses briefly. “What’s wrong my beloved Shushu~?” He lays down on Shuichi and rests his elbows on his chest, laying his head in his own hands. “Did you sleep well?”

Shuichi looks away and glares pointedly at the wall, so Kokichi pouts. “Kokichi…why are you on top of me?” He yelps as Kokichi starts tickling him again, and tries to buck him off. It works, and Kokichi is sent falling to the floor. He begins wailing loudly and Shuichi rolls his eyes, but there’s also a faint smile on his face.

“Waaaaaaah! How mean! And after I went through all that trouble to wake you up, too!”

“You were _tickling_ me!” He sighs. “And there’s no reason to wake me up. I have an alarm.”

“Oh yeah? Is it set to go off twenty minutes before homeroom, or something?”

“Very funny Kokichi.” He sits up and stretches, covering his mouth when he yawns. He glances over to his clock and his eyes go wide. “Shit!” He throws the covers off of him and jumps off the bed, almost tripping over Kokichi. He runs around the room, grabbing clean clothes, and getting dressed. He turns around to grab his jacket and he’s met with a very red-faced Kokichi. Shuichi screams then locks himself in the bathroom, slamming the door.

There’s a loud knock at the door. “Sidekick, are you okay!?” He keeps pounding on the door. “Shuichi!” Kokichi gets up and throws the door open, displaying the most victorious expression ever seen to man. It’s quite the sight, actually: Kokichi, in all his 5’1” glory, blushing to Hell and back, his hair sticking up in all directions, and still dressed like a goddamn jester.

“Heeeeeeeeeeey Kaito~” he grins and feels a surge of euphoria course through him as he sees realization strike Kaito’s face, then anger. He laughs and dodges when Kaito swings a fist towards his face, and he runs up to his room. Once inside, he locks the door and leans his back against it, slowly sliding down to the floor. He puts his hands up to his face and he can feel just how red he is. Kokichi Ouma doesn’t usually blush. He can hide any and all emotions whenever and however he wants. For the most part. This… _this_ is a _very_ special exception.

He plays the memory over in his mind: Shuichi rushing to get ready so that he isn’t late. Shuichi so focused on being quick that he _doesn’t go to the bathroom to change_. Shuichi accidentally changing in front of him…

He slaps his face and changes into his usual uniform. He realizes that he left his hat full of candy in Shuichi’s room, so once he’s all ready he heads back over there. The door is slightly ajar and Kokichi slams it open. “Shumai~ I left my candy in here!” Kaito glares over at him from where he’s basically hugging an almost-entirely-red Shuichi. Kokichi smirks. “Oh! Hiya Kaito! Sorry to interrupt your very platonic hugging session, but I accidentally left some of my clothes here after I slept with Shuichi last night.” He picks up his hat and heads back to the doorway. “I’ll see you in class~” he winks to Shuichi and skips out the door.

Walking to homeroom is uneventful. He doesn’t run into anyone and his mind feels too overheated on candy, the potential love potion, and Shuichi. He’s early, but not by much. He’d prefer to either be the first one to arrive and set up pranks, or to arrive fashionably late. He drops his bag down on the floor and sits on his desk. “Your king has arrived!” He receives snorts and eye-rolls in return, but at least they’re reactions.

“You’re not a fucking king, you gremlin twink!” Miu shouts, but she’s clearly holding back a smile. “Besides! I heard you were fuckin’ dumb enough to drink a love potion!” She cackles.

“While I don’t want Himiko’s pure magic anywhere near Kokichi, I admit that the idea of a love potion is quite romantic.” Tenko goes from angry to a drooling, fantasizing mess in mere seconds. Kokichi rolls his eyes.

“I didn’t drink a love potion, you dumb bitch.”

“Nyeh, yes you did. I used up a lot of mana to make that love potion. You should believe,” Himiko sleepily rubs her eyes and leans on Tenko when she almost falls asleep. “Besides, you weren’t the only one to drink it. Kaito did too, and he’s clearly affected.”

“Perhaps Kokichi is just too embarrassed to admit it? After all, he must be experiencing a plethora of emotions currently.”

“What would a robot know of emotions, huh, Kiiboy?”

“I…I am not a robot, Kokichi. That was only in the virtual reality. How many times must I explain this?”

“ _Suspicious_.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Prove. Prove! _Prove you’re not a robot!_ ”

“Are you really quoting John Mulaney at me right now?”

“No. I said, you know…like a _liar_.”

“You are a liar.”

“And you’re a robot.”

“No. I’m not.”

“Then read this captcha out loud.” He hands Kiibo a printed out captcha code, which he’s had in his bag for this very moment. It reads “I am robot.” Kiibo stares down at the paper before looking back up at Kokichi. “Well~? We’re all waiting, Kiiboy!”

The door to the room suddenly slams open to reveal Kaito and Shuichi, and all eyes look over at them due to the sudden noise. “Kokichi!”

“Yeeeees, Kaito?” He grins, but he also feels his chest tighten. He doesn’t like that.

Kaito approaches Kokichi and grabs him by his scarf, glaring down at him.

“What the hell did you do to my sidekick!?” His expression is dark and painted with jealous. Kokichi just grins and shrugs.

“Aw, are you jealous? That’s so cute and _pathetic_.”

“No, I just don’t want you hanging around _my_ Shuichi!”

“ _Your_ Shuichi!? He’s _my_ friend too, you absolute fucking dick!”

“Oh, _I’m_ the dick!? I’m not the one who upset Shuichi!”

“Really!? Because he looks pretty upset to me!” Kokichi jabs his finger in Shuichi’s direction, ushering all eyes towards the red-faced male, his eyes glowing with shame and anger.

“Would you both shut up!?” Shuichi yells and tears up, then running out of the room. Kaede gives Kokichi a sympathetic and exhausted look before chasing after Shuichi.

The room falls silent and homeroom begins

~~~

Kokichi practically skips to lunch. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to be upset. He grabs a tray and places a bunch of junk food on his tray, then heads over to his usual seat. He sits down across from Shuichi who appears much calmer than he was during homeroom, but still flushed red from Kaito clinging onto him. A vile feeling bubbles in Kokichi’s stomach as he watches the two interact. Shuichi briefly makes eye contact with him then looks away.

“What? Can’t even bear the sight of me anymore?”

“H- _Huh_!?”

“Aw,” Kokichi croons, a sickeningly fake smile on his face, “is ouw poow wittwe detective feewing concomfowtabwe now that the big bad supweme weader is hewe?” He ignores Miu’s remark of “Jesus Christ, dude, stop that.” “Does wittwe Shuichi want some alone time with his favowite space case?”

Shuichi visibly steadies himself and looks up at Kokichi again. “I already told you, we’re not dating.” Kaito flinches, but most of the audience has their eyes on Kokichi.

“Hah! See? I _told_ you you were under a love spell, ya little twink! You’re fuckin’ jealous over Sucky and Kaibro!” Miu begins to cackle but quickly stops when Kaede fixes her with a disappointed look.

“Kokichi, why are you so concerned on whether or not Shuichi and Kaito are dating?” She runs her hair behind her ear and looks at him with patience.

“I’m not. It’s just funny to see Kaito sniveling and whimpering like a kicked puppy each time Shuichi rejects him!”

“Well how would _you_ like it if he rejected you!? Huh!?” Kaito abruptly sits back up and is leaning over the table, pointing a fork at Kokichi’s face.

“I have no reason to care. It’s not like I _love_ him, like your dumb, love potion drinking ass.” He unscrews the cap of his Panta bottle and begins to drink from it.

“Then there’s no issue! Shuichi! Reject him! Reject him too!”

“I… _That_ …” Shuichi covers his mouth with his hand and looks away as his blush deepens greatly. “I-I don’t…I don’t want to.”

Time stops and Kokichi starts choking on his drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe Kokichi fucking died

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy it so far~


End file.
